New to pew pews... where to start?

[Seacap]

Howdy. Joined the forums a couple years ago and then life got in the way. Circling back to this now and wanting to build a small collection. I've fired handguns at a range and shot some sporting clays but I didn't grow up around pew pews. I have a piece of property in Ellijay (North GA) and it's not uncommon to hear a neighbor shooting.

I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the terminology and nomenclature but I want to dive in. I've been shopping for gun safes (RSCs really 30-40 gun in sizing) but trying to narrow down what I want in it too. I'm frugal but generally subscribe to buy once, cry once... I'm not afraid to drop some coin on this new collection. No interest in concealed carry at this time.

Initial thinking is a couple handguns, couple long guns and a shotgun. Interested in everything y'all have to share.

lol..your start of a collection of guns is exactly what I’ve heard many times..pistol..deer riffle..shotgun..safe to lock them up.. next thing you know, your building a back stop for shooting, and buying your second safe, because you can’t fit anymore in the first..what about reloading?..text me if I can help 678-488-5553

 

[Eggmanmja01]

WELCOME. Don't buy it to flip. All eyes are watching.

 

[Gixxer]

Most 9mm pistols aren't picky about FMJ ammo. Any reputable manufacturer will be fine. You can be pretty sure that any modern pistol you buy will be fine with all the major brands, in 115, 124 or 147 grain versions.

When you come to defensive pistol ammo (if you intend to carry or have another kind of true defensive handgun), it's worthwhile trying different products - or - asking on here. The shape of the projectile differs by type of defensive ammo and some handguns are happier (i.e chamber more reliably) than others because of the profile of a bullet. Ballistically - nobody wants to be shot with ANY kind of hollow point.

Your 22LR gun choices will run any reasonable 22LR ammo. You can't go far wrong with CCI Standard Velocity, but Fiocci and most other brands are fine.

On the AR15 - no experience with that caliber, but again, any reasonable brand should be fine. By design, the AR platform is designed to be pretty tolerant of what you load in the mags.

In time, with experimentation, you might find that a particular gun 'prefers' a particular kind of ammo, but probably the right platform for your initial research would be the Ruger 22/45, and I know a lot of people who have never felt the need to move away from CCI Standard

Well said.

To add to this, regarding "defensive" or "duty" ammo. There's a lot of info regarding the intended performance of certain ammo. What you might want to first determine is what kind of performance you are wanting. And many different schools of thought behind each choice.

For example, regarding Hornady. They have "Critical Duty" and "Critical Defense." One of them, I believe "Critical Duty," is supposed to be loaded a little hotter and penetrate through more tissue. Some may claim that's not ideal for citizen use for fear of overpenetration of their attacker and risk of harming a bystander. Or one could argue they need more penetration during the winter to defeat layers of clothing.

These are decisions for you to make. Similar to which weapon is best suited for home-defense. Some have a layout that allows for full power 12G buckshot and slugs. Others will need frangible projectiles to minimize any risk of wall passthrough. The answer to most firearm related questions is "it depends" Mostly on application and circumstances.

 

[romans1212]

Throwing some money at this while the holiday sales are in starting to pop up

DD AR15 & reddot ordered
10/22 & optics ordered
22/45 ordered
Along with a boat load of mags for each...

On to ammo, it seems like a lot of guns are picky about what they consume. Aside from combing the forums per gun, are there any unspoken rules around buying bulk ammo? I intend to put ammo in a separate safe or outside the safe entirely.

I have shot many thousands of remanufactured ammo at the range with a high degree of satisfaction. They are also a cheaper option. I would not rely on remans for defense purposes, as you might guess. Make sure your red dot is made for AR15. If not, it may not hold zero. Nice start to your collection. Welcome to the addiction!

 

[Cavemanjoe]

Throwing some money at this while the holiday sales are in starting to pop up

DD AR15 & reddot ordered
10/22 & optics ordered
22/45 ordered
Along with a boat load of mags for each...

On to ammo, it seems like a lot of guns are picky about what they consume. Aside from combing the forums per gun, are there any unspoken rules around buying bulk ammo? I intend to put ammo in a separate safe or outside the safe entirely.

Bulk for your AR will depend on whether or not you bought one chambered in 5.56 or .223. Both are relatively cheap in the realm of rifle ammo, but if you bought a .223 then you definitely don't want to buy 5.56, although a 5.56 will cycle .223 just fine.

I've had excellent luck with the Winchester white box bulk packs from Academy, and I've also taken a real liking to Belom (but that's in 7.62X39, haven't tried their 5.56 yet).

Your 10/22 and 22/45 should be fine with any standard velocity .22LR ammo, it just won't cycle anything subsonic, and short or long instead of long rifle won't run in the magazines. If you're buying bulk .22 ammo, I'd go grab a few smaller boxes of a few different types (CCI, Winchester, Federal, Aguila, Remington, etc.) and see what they like best (meaning cycles most reliably and gives the best accuracy), and then go buy bulk of whichever one that is, that way you don't have a bunch of ammo you'll have to make yourself shoot while staying frustrated. I recommend trying CCI mini mags, they run a little hotter than standard velocity and they're some of the most reliable .22LR ammo available, although bulk packs of them aren't a thing as far as I know.

Also, don't buy any magazines from ProMag, they're garbage. For your AR, DD makes really amazing mags, but you can get Magpul Pmags a good bit cheaper (and they're way better made than promags). Duramag also makes coated high-strength stainless AR mags, and they're about the best you can get.

Glad to see you're getting started. If you're anywhere near Lithia Springs or you don't mind making the trip out here, and you'd like someone to show you the basics, I go to the Freedom Shooting Center (formerly Stoddard's) pretty regularly and I've been teaching people to shoot for over 20 years.

 

[JeepGeek]

One more question, what should I be shopping for in terms of cleaning and routine maintenance?

 

[basstracker89]

One more question, what should I be shopping for in terms of cleaning and routine maintenance?

Get you a nice large cleaning kit that will cover shotgun, pistol and rifle. In several gauges and bore sizes. You'll likely make some special tools along the way, I did

 

[BHPSteel]

As B basstracker89 says - just a standard kit. Some of the items will be used a lot, some not at al, but you'll develop an understanding of what's useful and what isn't. You can then selectively upgrade from plastic (which is what a lot of the parts in a kit will be) to nylon, brass, bristle and bronze. Don't get cleaning gear that will put steel or aluminum in contact with (most importantly) the bores and the mechanisms.

When it comes to cleaning rods for bores, what you get in a kit should be fine - but PARTICULARLY when it comes to rods, make sure that if they are steel, they're nylon coated. Nothing will screw up rifling faster than an interaction with a sharp edge on a piece of stainless steel.

Get some Hoppes #9 and something like Lucas Extreme Gun Oil. You *can* do almost everything you need with that, and maybe a can of CLP.

It's worth thinking about an inexpensive 'gun vise' as a cradle to clean long guns in. It's easier to do a good job, and easier to keep clean if you use one.